She struggles with a lack of ambition
For her, a drug, a cold addiction.
Mistress of attempting little
Cancelled appointments
Vitae contentious
Lackadaisical,
Victimized,
Captive,
Lazy.
Month: January 2016
2015 – My Year in Books
Great ideas for your next book. Read more at morebooksthanshoes.wordpress.com.
Now back to books. 2015 was a very varied year for me, I was reading and reviewing books for ‘Belle About Town’ but also reading a book a month with my book club. I have to say having not one, not two but three outlets to discuss the books I read is really rewarding and I know I have said it in a previous post but thank you so much to all the people who have read, commented and liked my blog. It really means a lot, and this year I want to try and make sure I’m writing a least a blog post a week. I thought it would be fun for me to share some stats with you about my reading habits in 2015, and I’d love to know yours too, so please do comment below.
The first book I read in 2015 was ‘Foxcatcher: A True Story…
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All Fun and Games
Our housekeeper came on the 24th, and Doright Manor was spotless by the time she left: Tiles gleamed, faucets sparkled, and countertops shone. Studly Doright and I enjoyed Christmas Day and Boxing Day in a clean castle. Then the grandchildren arrived, along with the jolly mess that accompanies them everywhere they roam.
Within minutes of the kids’ arrival at midnight on Sunday the house looked like a violent windstorm had blown through. Suitcases exploded flinging clothing hither and yon, chairs that do not normally recline somehow morphed into loungers, and our cabinets were emptied of anything edible.
And this was all before the gifts were opened. Once that occurred, Doright Manor disappeared beneath acres of brightly colored wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows. There might’ve been actual books, gadgets, and toys in the pile, I’m just not sure they’ll ever be located.
Thankfully the weather here in the Florida panhandle has been perfect for exploring the outdoors this week. The kids spent hours riding the mini-bike and motorcycle that Studly (a.k.a. Poppa) fixed up for them in the weeks before their arrival. The property surrounding the manor provided a perfect track for our budding bikers.
And we spent a couple of hours learning basic gun safety.
A prodigious amount of tree chopping took place, as well.
In other words, we tried to keep them outside as much as possible.
The crew headed home on New Year’s Day leaving behind a trail of detritus and memories. The house might look like we’ve lost a rousing game of Jumanji, but it was worth every second.
Peace, people.
Undecorating Doright Manor
old me, out of shape
laid low by this holiday
undecorating
hips aching, joints creak
too much reaching and bending
Advil take my pain
finally finished
celebrate with Shiner Bock
crap! one Santa left
I went above and beyond the call of duty today. As a perennial underachiever I don’t say that lightly. Not only did I take down all of my Christmas decorations, but I also organized them, and designated certain pieces for Goodwill and others for the trash.
I’ve been threatening to do so for the past ten or twelve years, but always managed to talk myself out of it just in time. Now I know why I put off this task for so long. It took me all day and now I hurt everywhere. Apparently I’m not in good enough shape to put away Christmas decorations. That might be the saddest sentence I’ve ever typed.
Sounds like a great idea for a New Year’s resolution: I resolve to pay someone to do this next year.
Peace, people.
College Football Bowl Games That Should Exist, but Don’t
At this time of year our great country is immersed in college bowl season. I’m a football fan, so bowl games are an essential piece of my holiday puzzle.
As I typed this I was watching Notre Dame and Ohio State slug it out in the Battlefrog Fiesta Bowl and asking myself a few questions. First, when did Tostitos brand tortilla chips stop sponsoring this bowl game? Tostitos and Fiesta Bowl went together like, well, chips and salsa. Second, who or what on earth is Battlefrog*?
I remember when college bowl games didn’t need corporate sponsors. We simply had the Rose Bowl, Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Cotton Bowl. That remained the status quo through most of my childhood, but then the number of bowl games proliferated: Tangerine Bowl, Independence Bowl, Sun Bowl, Citrus Bowl, Peach Bowl, and on and on, ad nauseum.
Corporations smelling big money began gobbling up sponsorships right and left. Some, like GoDaddy and Belk, even invented their own bowl games. If the sponsorships remained static from year to year they’d be easier to keep track of, but as in the aforementioned Battlefrog Fiesta Bowl, nee Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, the names often change.
This year we can watch the Goodyear Cotton Bowl, the Capital One Orange Bowl, and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Only the Rose Bowl, tastefully presented by Northwestern Mutual, has remained above the fray. I was rooting for the Iowa Hawkeyes in that offering. It didn’t go well.
I do have one suggestion for future bowl game sponsorship: The corporation’s name/product should fit the bowl game being sponsored. Therefore, I present the following combinations for your consideration:Liquid Plumr Toilet Bowl
Kellogs Cereal Bowl
Martha Stewart’s Decorative Bowl
Chiquita Banana Fruit Bowl
Hawaiian Punch Bowl
Pineapple Express Bong Bowl
Orville Redenbacher’s Popcorn Bowl
Krispy Kreme Dessert Bowl
Peace, people!
*Battlefrog is a televised college competition series, according to Google.
Pride and Petulance
family
grounded in
roots,
love,
shared stories,
this one
heartbreaking
because it is true:
a family torn
asunder by
petulant
offshoots,
self-serving
jealousies.
pride,
malignancy
masquerading as
balm,
soothing,
perpetually
bandaging wounds
that we refuse
to let mend
seeking
retribution in
place of healing.
2016
ring in a new year
fresh with possibilities
beautiful and bright
lips meet discreetly
promises sealed at midnight
as chimes mark the hour
a sip of champagne
bubbly, bright, hedonistic
proper beginning
Praying for Eyebrowz 